I’ve occasionally run into the Big hit TV show, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” while channel surfing. People send in their videos, and millions of people laugh at them.

It’s mostly scenes of people hurting themselves, such as a guynon a trampoline falling and landing between his legs. The audience roars. I felt just the opposite, I felt sorry for the guy who must have been in great pain.

A little kid roller skating down a hill loses control and crashes into a tree. Ouch! Poor kid. Thank God he wasnt hurt or fatally injured. The audience exploded with huge laughs.

Kids on tricycles run into each other and hit the pavement. Snow skiers lose control and run into piles of snow. Babies cry after logos brother pours a bowl of spaghetti all over them.

Is it just me, or is this show painful to watch? Am I too empathic or compassionate? I just don’t think scene after scene of people getting hurt or in accidents is funny at all.

Call is catharsis, a way to feel better when seeing others in difficult situations; or at worst, sadistic – to enjoy the pain of others.

Year after year, this show is consistently high rated. I don’t understand it, other than possibly it’s symptomatic of a culture that takes pleasure witnessing others suffering. A self-absorbed, “me-centered” world where others not only don’t matter, they can be made fools, or even submit themselves to be ridiculed in public.

What do YOU think about this show? Please post your comments below.